AGC Glass Europe has won the Best Innovator Award Belgium 2009 in the large companies category, ahead of 3M, Belgacom and UCB, the three other finalists. The competition, organized by international st…
AGC Glass Europe has won the Best Innovator Award Belgium 2009 in the large companies category, ahead of 3M, Belgacom and UCB, the three other finalists. The competition, organized by international strategy consultant A.T. Kearney and its partners, and in Belgium for the third year running, offers companies the opportunity to identify and compare themselves with the capabilities and practices of innovation leaders. The jury chose AGC“s innovation process, which combines a “top-down approach” used by the 200 researchers and technicians in the company“s Jumet R&D Centre with the “bottom-up approach” involving all members of personnel. Moreover, the company has developed a special web-based platform enabling all levels of personnel to contribute ideas and to participate in the innovation process. The jury indicated important progress made thanks to this approach in 2009, including: o new products: Planibel Tri triple glazing, Glassiled RGB external glazing with light-emitting diodes (a world first), and extra-clear glass for solar applications (which has also won the Wallonia Technological Innovation Award ); as well as o a new production process using the most environment-friendly float plant in the world, and which combines oxygen combustion with gas preheating (also a world first), thus reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions by around 25%.